Foster Mother, Sister and Daughter etc Are Also Forbidden

LESSON # 489 FROM HOLY QUR’AN

Foster Mother, Sister and Daughter etc Are Also Forbidden

Surah NISAAA’  (WOMEN) - Chapter - 4)

Verses –23a of 176, Section –4/24 (Part – 4)

Forbidden unto you are your mothers, and your daughters, and your sisters, and your father’s sisters, and your mother’s sisters, and your brother’s daughters, and your sister’s daughters, and your foster-mothers, and your foster-sisters,

Hurrimat  ‘alaykum  ‘um-mahaa-tukum  wa  banaa-tukum  wa  ‘akhawaa-tukum  wa  ‘am-maa-tukum  wa  khaalaa-tukum  wa  banaatul-‘akhi  wa  banaatul-‘ukhti  wa  ‘umma-haatukumul-laatii  ‘arza’-nakum  wa  ‘akha-waa-tukum-minar-razaa-‘ati

Lesson

‘ar-razaa-‘ati – (foster relatives), it aims the woman, who is not real mother, but who suckles any other child. Real children of that woman are called foster-brothers and foster-sisters of that child, and that woman is called his/her foster-mother.

Allah Almighty had described unlawfulness of marriage with the step-mother in the previous verses. Now those other women are being mentioned here, with whom the marriage is prohibited. This detail is very clear, so there is no form of dissension or misunderstanding now.

These women belong to some different kinds. At first those, who are unlawful due to genealogical relationship and they are seven – 1.  Mother, 2.  Daughter, 3.  Sister, 4.  Paternal Aunt,  5.  Maternal Aunt, 6.  Brother’s Daughter (Niece), 7.  Sister’s Daughter (Niece). None is permitted to marry any one out of these seven close relatives.

As paternal and maternal grandmothers (and upwards) are included in the prohibition order of marriage with the mother, likewise, grand-daughters (daughter of the son and daughter of the daughter and downwards) are also included in the prohibition order of marriage with the daughter. Marriage with the sisters, ‘ainii (sisters, who have same father and mother), ‘alaatii (sisters due to father only) and ‘akhyaafii (sisters by the same mother but by a different father) is also prohibited including father’s and mother’s sisters, grandfather’s and grandmother’s (and their upwards) sisters. Real and step-sisters of above all are included. In addition, the nieces, (daughters of all above kinds of brothers and sisters, and their downwards) come also in this category.

Besides genealogical forbidden relatives, there are some foster relatives too, prohibited to be married. These are two – mother and sister, and seven others, which have been described above in the genealogical relationship {Mother, Daughter, Sister, Paternal Aunt, Maternal Aunt, Brother’s Daughter (Niece), Sister’s Daughter (Niece)}. These are also unlawful to be married in the fostering relationship. That is to say; foster-daughter, foster-aunt (either paternal or maternal), foster-niece (either paternal or maternal), all are unlawful to be married. These details and likewise other orders in this connection exist in the ‘Ahaadith (Sayings of Messenger, Muhammad (grace, glory, blessings and peace of Allah Almighty be upon him) with explanation.

Transliterated Holy Qur’an in Roman Script & Translated from Arabic to English by Marmaduke Pickthall, Published by Paak Company, 17-Urdu Bazar, Lahore, Lesson collected from Dars e Qur’an published By Idara Islah wa Tableegh, Lahore (translated Urdu to English  by Muhammad Sharif).